Juned Ahmed, 18, and Ashraf Hussan, 20, stabbed Blue multiple times in broad daylight on July 25 last year.

The pair were part of the RJ drugs line, just one of the many phone numbers used by London gangs to buy drugs. Often the line name is fictitious but police believe RJ exists and has gone underground.

The court heard how 46-year-old Blue called the line before being stabbed.

Paramedics took him to Addenbrooke's where he died from a stab wound to the heart.

The motive for the stabbing is not known.

The pointless killing highlights the dangers of drug gangs coming to Cambridge to battle it out for the lucrative trade in addiction.

County lines gangs enlist young people from cities to carry class A drugs to market towns, coastal areas and rural locations. Ringleaders operate mobile phone hotlines to market the drugs to local users, with the young drugs mules conducting the sales.

Turf wars are apt to break out and the young men and children recruited by the gang leaders to push drugs.

They do this by paying them or by forcing them through violence and grooming.

Known as "runners", they are usually male and aged between 12 and 20.

Gangs are known to use violence and manipulation against these vulnerable people who are also usually forced to swallow drugs in order to avoid police finding them.

Investigators say a typical line will turn over £2,000 to £3,000 worth of drugs per day.

A police spokesman said: “We are committed to tackling the scourge of drugs through enforcement work and also working with partners on preventative work to educate young people about the dangers of drugs and knives. Drug offences have links to many other types of crime, including violence and burglary, and this is reflected nationally.

“We are working alongside other forces in the region and the National Crime Agency to target those involved in ‘county lines’ drug dealing."

Drug boss Pepsi jailed

Okunzuwa was jailed today

A drugs boss was also jailed in a major victory for police.

Timothy Okunzuwa, from Glebelands, Clissold Road, London, also known as 'Black Pepsi', was a major scalp for police because he was the boss of a London drugs gang.

He was found dealing crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin out of a woman's flat.

Police attended the apartment after receiving reports of drug dealing on July 30. Okunzuwa, 30, was found inside with a man and two women, one of whom was the homeowner, Lakeia Smith.

Smith was found to have 57 wrapped packages inside her body, containing lumps of crack cocaine and six packages of heroin.

She claimed Okunzuwa had taken over her home along with his friend ‘White Pepsi,’ and had been using it as a drug dealing base. She said that when asked to leave they threatened to stab her. She said she had been made to wrap cocaine for £20 a day.

Police searched the house and found £480 of cash hidden under a sofa cushion, debt papers and a small amount of crack cocaine in a Nike bag and sleeping bag. A mobile phone containing drugs messages was also found.

Inside Okunzuwa’s car in Maltsters Way they found £20 cash, a hammer and a wrap of cocaine.

In total around £3,120 of crack cocaine and heroin was found.

Okunzuwa was found guilty of charges of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin, and sentenced to eight years in prison.

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Drugs in Cambridge

The police spokesman said: “Earlier this month, the boss of a London drugs gang, known as ‘Pepsi’, was jailed for eight years. Timothy Okunzuwa, 30, also known as ‘Black Pepsi’, of Clissold Road, London, was found dealing crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin out of a woman’s apartment in Chesterton Road, Cambridge.

“And last week, more than 60 people were arrested following a series of warrants across the eastern region and in London. Properties were searched by more than 200 officers from seven forces, including Cambridgeshire, supported and co-ordinated by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).”

Lakeia Smith, 25, of Chesterton Road, Cambridge, was found guilty of possession with intent to supply crack coacaine and heroin. She was sentenced to ten months in prison.

He said: “There is a significant demand for crack cocaine and heroin in Cambridge, and as a result the market is and remains attractive to county lines.

“The dealers are part of an exploitative pyramid model which nurtures violence and fear. Evidence suggests Okunzuwa was the boss of his line, and had power to treat people in cruel and manipulative ways. His capture was a result of a lot of hard work by our impact team officers and also the information we receive from the public.

“The sentence he received reflects the position he held as a nasty county lines dealer.”

Blue's killers now await their sentences

The faces of the cold hearted killers behind the Stourbridge Common murder

Ahmed, of Kings Road, Newham, London, and Hussan, of Eversleigh Road, Newham, London, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine on the day of the murder, and Ahmed pleading guilty to possession of a knife.

Each of the dealers claimed they were not at the bridge at the time of the killing, and blamed the other for the murder.

Mr Anderson's fiancé Chanell Law said after the verdict on January 29: “These evil individuals have taken the love of my life from me and have left me totally devastated.

"Blue was a good and kind man. Individuals like these two need to realise the consequences of carrying knives. They have ended Blue's life and ruined their own lives.”

Peter Anderson, aka Blue, died after being stabbed on Stourbridge Common

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Page of the Beds, Cambs and Herts Major Crime Unit said: “Peter was trying to buy drugs on Stourbridge Common on 25 July last year but he was met by the sort of brutality no one should ever have to encounter.

“We may never know why he was attacked but there can be no justification for what happened. It has left his friends and family in devastated and I hope today’s convictions give them some crumbs of comfort.

“There were no eye-witnesses to the murder and evidence had to be painstakingly obtained and analysed.

"It was not possible to establish who wielded the knife but Ahmed and Hussan were both present and intended to cause serious injury, so are responsible for Peter’s murder.”

The pair will be sentenced on February 22.

Child gang members

Children are often the victims of thee gangs and are forced into being their runners.

The Children’s Commissioner estimates there are at least 46,000 children in England who are involved in gang activity and about 4,000 teenagers in London alone are being exploited through child criminal exploitation, or 'county lines'.

Tragically the young people exploited through 'county lines' can often be seen by professionals as criminals.

Gangs groom, threaten or trick children into trafficking their drugs for them and they become trapped in county lines.

And organised criminals from the capital often take over the homes of vulnerable users.

They use violence, blackmail and intimidation to turn flats into their base and push heroin and crack cocaine in the city.

New team tackles county lines

A drugs raid

A team of 38 investigators began a national crackdown on county lines drugs gangs in September.

The county lines coordination centre, based in Birmingham,

The National Crime Agency says there were more than 1,000 lines in operation across the country, and 200 active investigations into them.

The Home Office has funded the centre for two years, at a cost of £3.6 million.